The 11th Congressional District is traditionally one of the most lopsided in Virginia where Democrats have a more than 30 point advantage.
So Republican Stewart Whitson has a difficult task in an unfriendly region. He's hoping the culture wars will help him close the gap. Here's the case he made to voters in Reston.
"I'll fight to restore excellence in education, empower parents and make sure our schools put learning ahead of politics," Whitson said. "I will fight to protect our girls and keep boys out of their sports and boys out of their private spaces."
The Democrat in the race is James Walkinshaw, who had Connolly's endorsement for the job before his death in May. He says he'll be a voice against government cutbacks and mass layoffs.
"The question before us in the 11th District is do we want someone representing us who will fight for our community, our residents and our small businesses. Or someone who views the jobs as being Trump's ally; someone who wants to stand up to DOGE and rebuild a federal government who works for all or someone who wants to double down on DOGE," Walkinshaw said.
Early voting is already underway and goes through Saturday September 6. Voting stops at 7 pm on Tuesday September 9th.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
